Performable

Performable is a software product and analytics platform that was designed to combine web analytics, conversion optimization, and marketing automation. It aimed to help marketers and product teams analyze user behavior, run experiments, and personalize experiences across channels. Performable attracted attention in the startup and venture capital communities and intersected with a number of notable firms, entrepreneurs, and technology platforms.

Definition and scope

Performable was positioned as a conversion and behavior analytics platform integrating features commonly associated with Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Optimizely, HubSpot, and Salesforce. It targeted marketing teams and product managers at startups and small-to-medium enterprises competing in markets influenced by firms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon (company), and Microsoft. The platform combined event tracking, funnel analysis, A/B testing, and lifecycle messaging — capabilities also offered by companies like Kissmetrics, Segment (company), Intercom (company), Amplitude (company), and Crazy Egg. Performable’s scope extended to customer acquisition and retention workflows used by tech companies from the era of rapid growth exemplified by Airbnb, Uber Technologies, Dropbox, Pinterest, and Spotify.

History and development

Performable emerged in a period when analytics startups were proliferating alongside the rise of cloud computing and software-as-a-service led by firms such as Amazon Web Services, Heroku, and Google Cloud Platform. Founders and early employees in related ventures had ties to accelerators and investors like Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Accel Partners. The product’s roadmap and fundraising were discussed in the same circles that followed other notable startups including Yelp, Zynga, Groupon, Square (company), and Stripe. Over time, consolidation in the analytics and marketing automation market led to acquisitions and integration strategies similar to moves by Adobe Inc. when it expanded through purchases like Omniture and by Oracle Corporation with acquisitions such as Eloqua. Strategic buyers in the space included larger software companies and CRM vendors like SAP SE and Microsoft Dynamics.

Features and capabilities

Performable’s intended feature set overlapped with tools and services offered by companies including Optimizely, Visual Website Optimizer, Kissmetrics, Mixpanel, Intercom (company), Mailchimp, and SendGrid. Core capabilities included event-based analytics modeled after approaches used in Amplitude (company) and Mixpanel, funnel visualization inspired by Google Analytics and Kissmetrics, and experimentation frameworks comparable to Optimizely and VWO. For messaging and automation, Performable’s functionality paralleled offerings from HubSpot, Marketo (company), Pardot, and Intercom (company). Integration patterns mirrored those of Zapier, Segment (company), and IFTTT, enabling connections to platforms such as Salesforce, Zendesk, Shopify, and Stripe (company). The product also aimed to support data export and business intelligence use cases compatible with tools like Tableau Software, Looker (company), and Mode Analytics.

Use cases and applications

Practitioners applied Performable-style features in acquisition campaigns similar to those run by PayPal, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and Twitter Ads; product onboarding flows similar to Dropbox and Evernote; and retention programs akin to those used by Netflix, Spotify, and Slack (software). Growth teams in startups emulated playbooks from GrowthHackers-influenced experiments and case studies published by influencers associated with Y Combinator and 500 Startups. E-commerce merchants integrated behavioral analytics and conversion optimization in the manner of Shopify merchants, while mobile app developers used event tracking and cohort analysis frameworks seen in apps from Instagram, Snap Inc., and WhatsApp. B2B SaaS companies leveraged lifecycle messaging and lead-scoring approaches like those implemented by Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo (company).

Criticism and limitations

Critiques of Performable-like products often referenced trade-offs discussed in analyses of companies such as Kissmetrics, Mixpanel, Segment (company), and Optimizely. Limitations cited included data accuracy and sampling concerns similar to debates around Google Analytics; privacy and compliance challenges in jurisdictions governed by laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation and regulations in contexts involving California Consumer Privacy Act; vendor lock-in risks comparable to proprietary stacks from Adobe Inc. and Oracle Corporation; and integration complexity akin to problems faced by customers of Salesforce and large CRM providers. Observers also noted that the competitive landscape, with entrants like HubSpot, Intercom (company), Amplitude (company), and Segment (company), made sustainable differentiation difficult, prompting many vendors to pivot, consolidate, or pursue acquisition strategies similar to those witnessed in the software industry.

Category:Web analytics